I will be a senior this year and I am interested I going into mechanical engineering. Right now I have narrowed my search to Purdue, Cincinnati, penn state, and Rutgers. I was wondering if anyone could rank these schools for mechanical engineering. Thanks!!
All are fine schools. Run the Net Price Calculator to see which is least expensive.
It is my understanding that being ABET-accredited is the most important thing. Assuming all four of these are ABET-accredited, then any of them will be fine. In terms of engineering rep, though, I would say:
- Purdue
- Penn State
- Rutgers
- Cincinnati
As @“Erin’s Dad” said, run the NPC for cost fit. Also look at environment (where they are, weather, type of surroundings, etc.) and academic fit – academic calendar, ease of entry into and out of an Engineering major, class sizes, courses offered, etc.
Are you instate for any of them? If all else is equal you will likely not go wrong with any of them. Purdue probably has the higher ranking among the 4 in USNWR in engineering (if that is important to you) and is very well known for it’s engineering school. I know the most about Purdue as my D is a Chem E there. Engineering is a large part of Purdue’s identity and the engineering buildings take up a good bit of the central campus. If you an Indiana resident then I would say it is a magnificent choice, however, OOS gets expensive. Penn State will be the most classic big college of the group and likely have the most school spirit. It tends to be expensive even for PA residents. Cincinnati is very compact and urban and requires you co-op. It probably is considered the 3rd best engineering school in Ohio behind OSU and CWRU. If you are an Ohio resident I would highly consider it. Rutgers is the one I know the least about. I think most people would rank these schools differently so I think the rank that is most important is the one you choose to give them. How hard you work and what you do at the school will make a much larger difference than which school you attend. Start making opportunities for yourself freshman year. Good luck.
I live in Pa and love penn state, but I’m not sure if I can get into the engineering program with a 1290 sat (670 math 620 reading) and 3.85 weighted gpa
Can you and your parents afford all of them?
Pay attention to whether you get direct admission to your major or if you will need to meet a high GPA requirement or compete for admission to your desired engineering major at each school.
Entrance to major requirement for industrial at PSU is currently 2.80 GPA; mechanical 3.20.
I am financially ok to go to all of the schools. And I was looking at that for pen state and was wondering if there are any disadvantages of going into dus then declaring industrial after 2 years(like all engineering majors), rather than getting admitted to the college of engineering when I apply??? @bodangles
It might be more stressful, I guess, to know that you have to do well your first two years? But it doesn’t really bother me – I have a higher GPA requirement for staying in Schreyer anyway (3.40). And a 2.80 isn’t all that high of a requirement, especially in basic classes like calculus and physics. Some internships require a 3.0+, so you’d want to stay above that in general.
But there’s no disadvantage of going in dus? And do i have like any chance at all to get into engineering first year? @bodangles
https://advising.psu.edu/entrance-major-requirements-college-engineering-2017 indicates that “Students requesting a change into the college will be considered on the basis of their academic performance, the relevance of the courses they have taken to majors in the College of Engineering, and indications of their potential to succeed in one of the college’s majors.”
You can get into your major from DUS exactly the same as you would from the College of Engineering. No difference.